We’re a week out from the 2024 NLL Draft, and with free agency in full swing, we’re starting to get a good idea of how each team will look ahead of draft day.

There’s still a lot of time until training camps open, with more transactions to come leading into November. But we wanted to look at each roster and see what the respective NLL teams could be looking to add to their rosters.

Let’s hop in and look at needs for every team in the NLL Draft

Albany FireWolves

Needs - Offensive Depth & Fast/Physical Defender

Albany came up just short of their first NLL Championship last season, making a fantastic run to the finals. Now, it’ll be about maintaining and adding to their young core to take the next step and take home a title in the next few years.

Dougie Jamieson will continue to be one of the league’s best goaltenders, and the addition of 2023 first-overall pick Dyson Williams will add another elite talent to this forward group. Unfortunately for the FireWolves, they’ll have a long wait in the draft until their first selection, not picking until the end of the second round after moving their first for John Wagner at last year’s trade deadline.

They’ll have to pick the best player available once their pick rolls around, but there should be some decent names. Panther City also held three second-rounders, which means teams like the FireWolves will be bumped up a few selections, which should benefit the talent they’re able to grab.

Albany is a high-tempo, high-pressure defensive team, so getting some more foot speed on the back end will benefit greatly to what they excel at doing already.

Buffalo Bandits

Needs - Depth

Back-to-back championships and not a lot of roster turnover. Buffalo is once again in a position to be a top team in 2025, and they’ve retained key veterans to fill out their lineup. The rich will also get richer, as the Bandits hold two top-10 selections in this year’s draft, allowing them to add two young guys who can contribute right away.

They could also choose to package either one or both of those picks to add a player to step into their lineup game one. They have a lot of options on draft day.

Calgary Roughnecks

Needs - Offensive Depth, Lefty Defenders, Goaltending

We’ve talked about the difficult off-season Calgary has already had, trading away multiple fan favourites. Now, we’re still waiting on what will happen with Christian Del Bianco. But with their departures, it sure feels like the Roughnecks could go best player available with their picks this year.

They added Cam MacLeod in dispersal to help with netminding. Could they add another young netminder to develop for the future later on in the draft? There likely isn’t a goalie coming off the board too early on, giving them the luxury of adding a few runners before possibly exploring that route.

More than likely, Calgary will look to add defensively to a unit that has already lost Zach Currier and Shane Simpson — Jeff Cornwall is also a UFA currently. They could add some depth forwards, but they already got a big pick up in Alberta native Mathieu Gautier in the dispersal draft, so firepower isn’t the focal point.

Colorado Mammoth

Needs - Transition

Will Malcom returns to the team that drafted him, and with 2023 draftee Carson Moyer joining the fold, the Mammoth still have a large chunk of their last championship squad intact heading into this year.

You’re all set in net with Dillon Ward. So it’s the back end that could use some attention. While the Mammoth do have some workhorses on defence, they only had two defenders with over 10 points last year — Brett Craig and Robert Hope. Adding some more speed and offensive punch in transition would help vault Colorado back into playoff contention this year. They have everything else in place to be successful, but they need production from the defence to get over the hump.

Georgia Swarm

Needs - Get Younger

Georgia still has one of the best rosters in the NLL, and you’ll always be in the mix with Lyle Thompson leading your offence and Brett Dobson in net. But defensively, the Swarm need to start infusing some youth.

Jeremy Thompson, Jordan MacIntosh, John Ranagan, and Mike Manley are all into their mid-to-late 30s, and while they log big minutes every game, Georgia can help their own cause by adding a defender with their third overall selection.

If Philadelphia and Toronto add the top two forwards on the board, then Goergia will have their pick of defenders at No. 3. They could add Michael Grace — the top defender in this class. But they wouldn’t see him until next season, as he’ll be at Syracuse this season.

Could they look at a Trent Dicicco? He’s having a fantastic start to the Mann Cup with Victoria. He’d bring them a quick-twich transition threat who can handle himself in the defensive end. Georgia’s pick will be a fun one off the top of the draft.

Halifax Thunderbirds

Needs - Righty Defenders, Righty Forward Depth

Halifax is in an interesting position. As we talked about in the Dispersal Mock, Randy Staats and Austin Shanks are both free agents, and it’s more than likely that at least one of them will land in a new home this season. The Thunderbirds have a 90-point man in Clarke Petterson along with a few newcomers in Aaron Woods and Cole Kirst. But losing two big point producers along with vet Ryan Benesch in the same off-season would be a problem for the Birds.

The same goes for the defence, as it looks as though David Brock and Luc Magnan are both moving on as well. Halifax did draft some young defenders. Andrew Vradenburg is a righty. But they’ll need more depth on that side behind Jake Withers, Ryan Terefenko, Colton Armstrong, and Max Wilson.

At No. 10 overall, Halifax could either add forward depth or add a defender to bring in for this year.

Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Needs - Depth

We are big fans of what Las Vegas is cooking up down in the Desert, and while they’ll have to wait until the start of the second round of the draft for their first pick — barring a trade — they’ll be able to continue building on what they’ve been constructing for three years.

Adding Jonathan Donville, Dylan Hutchison, and Brandon Goodwin in Dispersal helped a ton with their off-season. Vegas has a lot of bodies at every position, so they have the luxury of just taking best available and letting the guys battle in camp. The thing that the Dogs need more than anything is seasoning, and they’ll get a fresh season to get better, starting in a few months.

Ottawa Black Bears

Needs - Lefty Defenders

Ottawa has been active in their first off-season since the move from New York, acquiring Zach Higgins and Jacob Dunbar so far. They’ve really focused on adding righty forwards over the last year, and the Black Bears have six righties to sift through in training camp. There’s even a chance Kiel Matisz drops to the back gate now given the depth up front on that side.

But the addition of Dunbar also cost Ottawa one of the better young defenders in 2022 first-rounder Zack Deaken. They do have a vet in Matt Marinier on the left side, along with Brent Noseworthy. But Reed Kurtz and Jake Gasperetti are newcomers to the NLL, and adding insurance is pivotal this year through the draft.

Philadelphia Wings

Needs - Defensive Depth

Philadelphia did a lot of their offensive work in the diespersal draft, adding their future starter in Nick Damude before trading Zach Higgins to Ottawa for a package including Phil Caputo and Liam Patten. They also drafted Tony Malcom and Connor Sellars. So their defence is much improved today than a week ago.

But this lineup still needs help defensively. Their problem is that they hold the first overall selection in the draft, and unless they want to take Mike Grace, they’re probably looking at adding a forward. It’ll be on their scouting staff to find some defenders that fit their system. They got a few good ones last year in Mitch Armstrong and Jackson Ganton. There are some early declarations in the draft hailing from St. Catharines, which could entice new Head Coach Ian Rubel and Assistant Coach Pat McCready — who both also hail from that town.

Rochester Knighthawks

Needs - Depth

Another team that has gotten stronger across the board over the last year, Rochester has already added some help defensively in Chad Tutton and Josh Medeiros. They don’t really need offensive help. The Knighthawks have taken care of that through the draft over the last number of years.

Their biggest question mark is Rylan Hartley's health. He proved two years ago that he was among the best goalies in the league, but he missed a majority of last year with an injury. There isn’t really a goalie this year that could take the crease right away. But could they look to add some insurance? We’ll have to wait and see.

Rochester is another squad who should just continue to add solid players through the draft, no matter the position.

San Diego Seals

Needs - Lefty forward depth

San Diego generally does their off-season work with the pocket book, and this year is no different. They’ve already added to their offence by signing Ryan Benesch, Rob Hellyer, Callum Crawford, and Ben McIntosh. Origlieri has a very high ceiling and the defence is solid through and through — they’ve added Zach Currier, Justin Sykes, and Zack Deaken already.

There’s still a question for the future on the left side. This could be Benesch’s final go and Dane Dobbie is still a UFA. Looking towards the future for a lefty could be in the Seals’ best interest. They don’t have a need elsewhere and have a pair of picks at the back end of the first round. This will be another chance to add to one of the most star-studded rosters in the NLL.

Saskatchewan Rush

Needs - Depth

You’ll see us have depth down for a lot of teams, and that’s because, with dispersal, each roster just got a little more stacked than usual. Jobs are going to be harder to come by going forward. With a few players added from Panther City, Saskatchewan was already strong, and now, they look like a team with a legitimate shot to make the postseason in 2025.

Their strength is on the back end, where their young core impressed heavily last season. The likes of Ryan Barnable, Jake Boudreau, and Bobby Kidd III are top-notch prospects, and adding Matt Hossack and Evan Messenger to that defence only makes them more formidable.

Saskatchewan looks to be running it back with a similar offensive group to last year, but Adam Levi has also reported that Austin Shanks could be signing with the Rush. So we’ll have to monitor that heading into the draft.

With two first-rounders — one being a compensatory first for Ryan Dilks — the Rush can add onto one of the most fun rosters on paper in the entire league.

Toronto Rock

Needs - Righty Forward Depth

Toronto doesn’t need a whole lot. They’ve been on the cusp of an NLL final for half a decade now. But with Tom Schreiber going down mid-season in the PLL with an upper-body injury that has him in a sling, his status heading into training camp in November will be a talking point.

Schreiber will be on the floor this season, it just depends on when for Toronto. He’s the focal point of their offence and has been a star for years, both indoors and outdoors. Toronto did a tidy bit of business with the Rob Hellyer deal to Vegas a few years back, and now that trade is paying dividends in the draft, with Toronto picking second overall. The last time they did so, they got Challen Rogers. While this year’s draft doesn’t have quite the bevy of talent off the top as that year, it’s hard to pick a bad player at No. 2 overall.

Sam English feels like an easy choice for Toronto. He plays under Jamie Dawick and Matt Sawyer in the MSL with Oakville. Could they opt for defence and continue to make one of the best units in the league just flat-out unfair? It’ll depend on what Philly does with No. 1. But the Rock are getting a stud at the top of the board.

Vancouver Warriors

Needs - Depth

Vancouver had a complete 180 turnaround to end last season, and despite missing the playoffs, Curt Malawsky and Co. have this team in the best spot it’s been in over a decade. There are young, exciting players all over the floor in Vancouver. Owen Grant and Brayden Laity were both standouts defensively, they just added Ryan Sheridan and Ronin Pusch through dispersal, and the netminding duo of Aden Walsh and Connor O’Toole is a steadying presence.

Another team that’s probably looking more towards defence in this draft, the Warriors could also look to bring in some extra bodies up front — mainly on the righty side. Sitting at fourth overall, A player like Trent DiCicco could look really nice in black and gold. As could a Mike Grace or Sam English. The Warriors don’t pick again til the third round after that, however, so they’ll have to make good on their early selection.

This is a team that has made splashes in free agency over the last year. So expect Vancouver to stay active before and on draft day to add more quality to their roster.

2024 NLL Draft - Team Needs

Albany FireWolves

Buffalo Bandits

Calgary Roughnecks

Colorado Mammoth

Georgia Swarm

Halifax Thunderbirds

Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Ottawa Black Bears

Philadelphia Wings

Rochester Knighthawks

San Diego Seals

Saskatchewan Rush

Toronto Rock

Vancouver Warriors

NLL Draft - American Prospects

NLL Draft - Goalies To Watch